Industrial automation is used to control machines and processes in manufacturing. Automated machines commonly control the handling of components, sub-components, and raw materials, perform fabrication processes, testing, and product handling, packaging, and shipping. Industrial automation enables precise control of industrial processes, achievement of smaller tolerances and better quality products, higher production outputs, and increased worker safety and productivity.
Industrial automation installations comprise multiple computerized devices that control industrial machines and industrial processes. The components of an industrial automation installation work together in a coordinated fashion, performing operations such as exchanging data, controlling the timing and scheduling of processes, providing information to operators or technicians, and receiving operator inputs.
Computerized devices used in an industrial automation installation include Human-Machine Interface (HMI) devices. HMI devices may include operator input devices and operator output devices. Operator output devices can include displays that display information to the operator or technician. The displayed information can include text and/or alphanumeric data, among other things.
An operator can monitor an industrial automation machine/process. In addition, a computer system is typically employed to gather data generated about the industrial automation machine/process, wherein the computer system also monitors the industrial automation machine/process. The computer system displays information to an operator for monitoring of the industrial automation machine/process by the operator.
The computer monitoring system may be remote from the industrial automation machine/process. The computer monitoring system typically includes a display screen that displays operational data for the operator to view. The display can also include representations of the industrial automation machine/process. The display can comprise 2-D or 3-D modeling and 2-D or 3-D image renderings that are displayed on the display screen. However, 2-D or 3-D modeling/rendering is costly and uses a large amount of computer resources. In addition, displays of the industrial automation machine/process at a location remote from the industrial automation machine/process may not make intuitive sense or immediate sense to the operator.